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The increasingly intense winter storms along the Oregon Coast are jacking up the severity of winter erosion. Oregon State University researchers analyzed 25 years of data and found that wave heights have grown from an average of about 3 meters to an average of 4 meters. At the same time, wave heights during major storms have grown from around 11 meters to around 15 meters. The scientists say that the heavy early winter storms have already caused significant erosion along the Oregon Coast and that home and business owners along the coast should be on alert. “Having this much erosion by November is kind of scary,” says Paul Komar, professor emeritus in the college of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at OSU.